Guanipa Hits Walk-Off in Chaotic Soul Victory
CarL Augusta GreenJackets

Guanipa Hits Walk-Off in Chaotic Soul Victory

Published on June 20, 2026 under Carolina League (CarL)
Augusta GreenJackets News Release


NORTH AUGUSTA, SC: Despite the Hill City Howlers (0-2, 31-37) scoring eight runs in their final three innings and carrying a two-run lead into the ninth, the Augusta Soul (2-0, 37-31) scored three in the final frame as Luis Guanipa picked up the game-winning hit in an 11-10 roller coaster of a win.

The bottom of the ninth was both a masterclass in disciplined hitting for Augusta and a microcosm of the pitching struggles faced by Hill City. Veteran righty Ettore Giulianelli attempted to lock up the save, but walked back-to-back batters to put the tying run on with no outs. Giulianelli picked up a big strikeout of Tanner Smith, but walked Junior Garcia before hitting Michael Martinez to bring home a run. Cooper McMurray then laced a single to tie the game, before Guanipa cracked a 3-2 fastball to left to score the winning run.

The comeback was only necessary because of a brilliant battle from the Howlers, scoring eight unanswered in their last three chances to turn an 8-2 deficit into a 10-8 lead. The Howlers scored two apiece in the 7th and 8th against Jaylen Paden and Carter Lovasz, before posting four runs with two outs in the ninth against Styven Paez, as Luis De La Cruz tied the game with a double before Jose Pirela hit a pinch-hit single for the lead.

Augusta's offense was homer-heavy early, crushing three long balls against starter Will McCausland to race out to an early lead. After the Soul fell behind 2-0 early due to a Jonathan Martinez homer, Cody Miller opened the second with a solo shot. In the next frame, Guanipa crushed a hanging slider for a two-run blast and the lead, before Conor Essenburg followed with his first home run at SRP Park to go back-to-back with his fellow outfielder.

The Soul scored four in the 6th that seemed like it would carry the day prior to Hill City's rally, as Augusta loaded the bases against McCausland and Keegan Zinn before McMurray and Essenburg each hit two-run singles to stretch the lead up to sixth. Tonight's game was the fourth this week where Augusta scored in double figures, all of which were wins.

The Soul have now guaranteed a series victory, and have won back-to-back games to open the second half of the 2026 season. With one more game against the Howlers this week, Augusta returns to the GreenJackets name tomorrow afternoon as Davis Polo and the team attempt to extend the winning streak to four before they head east to see the playoff-bound Charleston RiverDogs. First pitch is at 2:05, a quick turnaround after the longest game of the year.

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Carolina League Stories from June 20, 2026


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